Pope, Alexander.

folio, first edition, green morocco gilt by the Club Bindery (1905), all edges gilt, repaired tear to upper margin of B2, tiny repairs to lower margins of last few leaves, still a near fine copy

Winston Henry Hagen, with his bookplate, his sale at Anderson Galleries, 13 May 1918, lot 922; H. Bradley Martin, his book-plate, the sale of his library, Highly Important English Literature, 30 April and 1 May 1990, Sotheby's New York, lot 3121

Foxon P987; Griffith 9; Rothschild 1567

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, when appropriate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

First edition of Pope's long gestated descriptive and historical poem on his native region of Windsor Forest, which ends with a vision of peace. "Pope was aware that the treaty of Utrecht, then in negotiation to settle the peace, was supposed to give Britain increased access to the slave trade. Yet his concluding vision explicitly includes abolition of slavery... Among scores of poems on the peace, Windsor-Forest appears to be the only one to mention actual (not metaphorical) slavery and oppose it. It at once caught the attention of the most celebrated pro-government writer of the day, Jonathan Swift...Thus began...perhaps the most celebrated literary friendship of the earlier eighteenth century..." (Oxford DNB)